The present invention relates to refrigerated cabinets and particularly to a system for mounting various modules, shelves, and bins at selected locations within the cabinets and for receiving utilities for the modules.
Typical refrigerators include adjustable shelves and bins with finite adjustment locations usually defined by either slotted tracks formed in a rear wall or grooves or other mounting structure formed along the sides of the refrigerator cabinets at spaced locations. This allows some adjustability of shelves for varying items being stored in the refrigerator and allows the consumer to select shelf heights for different items to be refrigerated. The refrigerator doors also frequently include bins which are incrementally adjustable at different but predetermined locations.
Newer concepts in refrigeration have included modular units which fit within a refrigerated cabinet and which provide the user with unique features, such as instant cooling, quick defrost, ice makers and water dispensers, and other features which can be selectably installed within a refrigerator and which frequently require utilities, such as a coolant fluid, electrical power, or electrical data signals for controlling the module. Examples of such improved modular refrigerator constructions which allow the owner new features which can be purchased with a refrigerator or subsequently added to a refrigerator are disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/402,559 entitled VACUUM FOOD PRESERVATION SYSTEM; Ser. No. 12/402,747 entitled CHILLING AND THAWING MODULAR APPLIANCE SYSTEM; and Ser. No. 12/402,731 entitled MODULAR DOOR MOUNTED CLIMATE CONTROLLED MEDICINE COMPARTMENT, all of which were filed on Mar. 12, 2009, and the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Although such modules are themselves a great convenience for the users of the refrigerators so equipped, there remains a need for allowing the owner the flexibility of selecting a preferred location anywhere within the refrigerated cabinets for the installation of one or more such modules. Also it would be desirable to allow the consumer the flexibility of positioning shelves and bins at any desired height location instead of limiting the choice to incremental positions.